2020 VEGAS - Behind the Design with Ralf Grösel

The VEGAS remains the most sold C shaped performance kite on the market ever. A design inspired to take our team of world class rider to the top, 5x World Champion and 2x King of the Air Aaron Hadlow, our women’s competition team and GKA World Champion Mikaili Sol, are dedicated to the VEGAS.

Last year, Ralf’s goal was to fine tune and balance the VEGAS perfectly. He achieved this fluently by tweaking small details like the wave patterns, patterns on the Leading Edge and updates in the tension settings between the Leading Edge and Strut.

For 2020, his vision was to keep delivering the most premium performer to our team of World Champions and extreme riders. But when something works so well already, how did he manage to improve the legendary VEGAS?

My vision with the VEGAS each year is to deliver a pure wakestyle / competition orientated kite with extreme boosting and mega loop potential. It’s a design inspired to take our team of world class rider to the top.

At the core of the VEGAS are the necessaries; pop, slack and ultimate precise steering abilities; these are all non-negotiable. Combine that with how long the VEGAS has been around with and the progression of the sport, it’s actually small changes that make a big difference, but they have to enhance it overall.

What are the main design and performance updates for this year’s model?

The new TE wave patterns are lighter, reduce flutter marks but remain as strong as the previous Dacron reinforcement.

In addition, the applied and newly developed 75 gram RipStop material has similar stretch and ageing characteristics to the D3 canopy material. The reason for these updates is to have a more harmonious transition between these two materials. In addition to the already robust frame, it creates a smoother profile and added stiffness to the stable canopy for punchy pop and effortless slack.

Were there any challenges you had to overcome?

When developing such a highly tuned performance kite, changing anything affects the others and therefor its nature and in-flight characteristics. I knew that the new TE wave patterns and 75 gram RipStop materials were going to have a really positive impact on the VEGAS, but I had to tweak and test the other design features to rebalance and achieve optimum equilibrium.

Who will enjoy the 2020 VEGAS?

This king of the C-kites is in a league of its own. Riders wanting a pure Wakestyle/Freestyle machine with outstanding mega loop performance, look no further; the VEGAS has it all.

Which line lengths do you recommend?

Hardcore wakestle/freestyle riders should us the small Click Bar with 22m lines across all sizes, with the option of both 5 and 6-line setup for the ultimate unhooked experience.

What tips do you have for the different settings?

Wakestyle - Medium depower -Hard steering setting.

Freestyle - High depower - Medium steering setting.

Competition - Low depower - Hard steering setting.

2020 VEGAS in a nutshell.

Designed for purpose, driven by performance, the 2020 VEGAS has been sharpened up through use of new materials and is the only choice for freestyle and wakestyle. Inspired by our world class wakestyle/freestyle team, the 2020 VEGAS offers everything for expert and highly skilled riders. Time to unleash the beast.

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